In Pictures: America's Biggest Jails

Across the country, the local jail population has been climbing for years, following an increased incarceration rate. In 2000, there were 621,149 people in jail, many of them awaiting trial; by midyear 2008, there were 26% more, 785,556 inmates housed at an average 95% of rated capacity. Detention expenses have climbed more than 500% since the 1980s, reaching at least $19 billion. Meanwhile, many municipal and county governments are toiling with falling tax revenue and overcrowded jails. Here are the 10 largest local jail jurisdictions in the U.S.

Sources: Forbes; Rankings by 2008 daily average inmate population by jurisdiction, according to the U.S. Department of Justice; Justice Policy Institute.

No. 1 Los Angeles County, Calif.

Inmate Population: 19,836

A fortress of several detention buildings, Los Angeles County transports about 1,600 inmates to court every day, including Larvell Hollis, 42, an inmate who gives out booking information over the telephone. The trucker says he was arrested 40 days ago for violating his probation on a possession of methamphetamine charge--he missed a drug screening. "It's no good, man," he says of the jail.

No. 3 Harris County, Texas

Inmate Population: 10,000

The Harris County Jail is filled to the brim with inmates from the Houston area. Dressed in bright orange, the inmates prepare 35,000 meals a day, or 13 million a year, at a cost of 88 cents a tray. In this photo, women sort clothes pulled from a battery of dryers that can handle up to 170 pounds a load.

No. 4 Cook County, Ill.

Inmate Population: 9,900

The Windy City's lock ups have grown to employ more than 3,800 jailers and support staff. Like most large jails, it has frequently struggled with overcrowding, but started a diversion program in 1993 for non-violent inmates, including drug rehabilitation and GED courses.

No. 5 Maricopa County, Ariz.

Inmate Population: 9,265

"America's Toughest Sheriff" Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in the Phoenix area isn't afraid of overcrowding. In 1993, he opened the famous--or infamous--"Tent City," which today has a capacity of 2,000 inmates and is one of seven jails in the county.

Courtesy of CFCF

No. 6 Philadelphia, Pa.

Inmate Population: 8,811

Along with Philly's storied history, so are its jails, which are synonymous with overcrowding; some two-thirds of inmates are reportedly awaiting trial. Built in 1995, the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, sitting on 25 acres, is the main lockup. Kitchen and food storage services take up an acre of land, and it has the capacity to make 40,000 meals a day.

No. 7 Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Inmate Population: 7,050

Home of the Metro West Detention Center, the jail population in the area was housed at 121% of capacity in 2008, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice. The area has been racked by the housing crisis. Not the best time for commissioners to ask for jail expansions.

No. 8. Dallas County, Texas

Inmate Population: 6,385

The north, west and south towers make up the bulk of the jail space in Dallas, where a new facility was recently opened that places guards within dormitories, allowing a wider ratio of guard to inmates, or 1-to-60.

No. 9. Orange County, Calif.

Inmate Population: 6,000

Rubbing shoulders with the largest jail jurisdiction in the country, Los Angeles County, the OC comes in near the bottom of the Top 10. The county's budget recently dropped by a reported $1.2 billion on falling tax revenues. The sheriff has said the $28 million cut to her department could cause problems at the jail.

Courtesy of Shelby County Sheriff’s Office

No. 10. Shelby County, Tenn.

Inmate Population: 5,765

Jails in the Memphis area are a second home for the blues. Hit by the recession, Tennessee recently passed the leanest spending budget in a decade and expects to bring in $1.1 billion less in tax revenue this year.